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1.21.2012

Hero of the Faith - Dolores Huerta

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Alivia, Daughter #2, and I had the honor of hearing Dolores Huerta speak last evening. At 80 years young, She spoke for two hours without sitting. She is still a force of nature to be reckoned with. She started as the co-founder of the United Farm Workers Union, but has consistently broadened that civil rights work to work on behalf of the full range of human rights.

They say that Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astair did, backwards and in high heels. Dolores did everything Ceasar Chavez did while bearing ELEVEN children!

Highlights:

The mother of eleven is Pro-choice. Her daughter was present and thanked her mother for using her name and not just referring to her as Choice Number Eight!

She said that Ceasar (whom she gave all his due) wanted to boycott Potatoes in '65. She talked him into grapes instead.

She admonished the young women in the audience to be bold in proclaming their own ideas. "Who came up with the slogan - Si Se Puede - That would be Dolores Huerta!" And she reveled in the applause. She admitted scolding Mr Obama a bit for stealing it, but it was clear she like the man, yet thinks we need to stay on him.

She added to our knowledge of The death of Matthew Shepherd. "Do you know that his killers went right back into town and tried to beat a couple of Mexicans?" "You can't say that you are for rights for Latinos and not be for rights for GLBT folk. The people who are coming after those folks are coming after you. It is all the same fight."

She talked about economics and Supports Occupy. She thinks that the title of "consumer" is a dehumanizing insult.

If there was some class of human rights she failed to talk about, I missed it.

She took Questions for long time after speaking. When pressed on African Amercan rights, she spoke about the genocide of African Americans. And noted that if you lock a man in prison he can't procreate which decimates a population.

From a young man: How do you talk to people who disagree violently without and don't seem to want to listen?

DH : Keep at it. It takes time. At least seven times. And tell Stories. Your own and other peoples stories. This is the only thing that works.

She several time referenced her own Catholicism.

When a young woman asked her what she should do when she is working for equality and seems to keep on bumping into opposition from people of faith.